It was one of the inevitable big shifts to come out of Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, the changing of the guard in terms of what company will get to print Star Warscomics in the future. Disney, of course, owns Marvel Comics, which means the end of Dark Horse Comics’ some 23 years publishing comics and graphic novels about that galaxy far, far away. It was only a matter of time, but some recent develops seem to indicate that the last days of Star Wars by Dark Horse are sooner, rather than later.

To begin with, recent solicitations for August from Dark Horse include the final issues for ongoing titles like Star Wars, Star Wars: Darth Maul and Star Wars: Legacy, as well as what looks like the final collections and one-shots to be released by Dark Horse as well.

Adding insult to injury, BleedingCool has reported from the Diamond Retailers Summit in Las Vegas this past weekend that Marvel is planning on announcing its first Star Wars comics releases this coming July, just ahead of San Diego Comic Con. Reportedly, Marvel will being with two new ongoing series, but that can’t be confirmed from Marvel’s end despite numerous attempts by The Hollywood Reporter.

If all this is coming to pass than it is indeed that end of an era. It’s the second announcement in two months that has spelled the end of the Expanded Universe, the other being the first slate of new novels to be released under the new canon from Del Rey books. Although the ongoing popularity of Star Wars owes a lot to the writers and artists at Dark Horse, this occasion does mark a homecoming for Star Wars as the original comics were released by Marvel back in the 70s and 80s.

Expect more news soon about the future of Star Wars comics, especially as we get closer to SDCC time. Stay tuned.

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